Knowledge is Responsibility
by Tansyflower
Summary: Danny and his schoolmates have been sent to Norrisville High School until further notice. Although surviving his surroundings with new friends and foes isn't hard, Danny accidentally loses a sacred book that belongs to the town's Ninja, starting events that'll bring back his worst nightmares. Now he and the Ninja most work together to stop the oncoming storm of horror.
1. Amity Park (Not)!

The sky was dark; only the sharp edges of buildings could be seen. City lights dapped the shadows. The typical noises of vehicles and humanity were bursting throughout different areas high and low. Yep, this wasn't Amity Park, but it somehow felt just the same.

However, if someone dared to look over at a particular top of a building, they probably would've been shocked to see floating boxes everywhere. Not that things like monsters and robots were unusual, but once again, this isn't Amity Park. Where the boxes were floating, two figures, or in better description a ghost and a half-ghost, were facing off.

"I am the Box Ghost! I have found these specially-marked cereal boxes, and now I will use their power to make you tremble!" The ghost exclaimed loudly.

Danny Phantom, with narrowed eyes, groaned. "I guess if there's one nice thing about losing the Fenton Thermos, it's that I'm only dealing with you." As boxes came flying towards him, he shot ghost rays to destroy them, causing cereal to be scattered everywhere. He grinned. "Well, it doesn't look like I got a prize. I guess you'll have to do!"

If Danny hadn't been so focused on his frosted-flaky fight, he might have noticed someone hidden in shadows. The witness kept quiet, but stayed tense, waiting until the time was ready.

Flying at a great speed towards the Box Ghost, Danny punched him, knocking the startled ghost to the building ledge. Danny walked over to him and held the Box Ghost up by his shirt. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back either in the Ghost Zone or Amity Park, failing like always?" Danny questioned firmly with confusion.

He let go of the Box Ghost as he floated. "You have no idea what terrible fate waits for you here!" He wailed. "The other ghosts and I have discovered a deep plot thickening under our noses, and you have helped it occur!"

"Me? How?" Danny raised an eyebrow. He had only been in this town for a few days, and he couldn't see how anything he'd done would have started something bad. _Vlad, perhaps?_ The thought scared him. Ever since Vlad had been left in space, the fear of his return had never fully left Danny's mind. But a lot had happened since those fateful times. He doubted he could've caused Vlad to return… but if that wasn't the case, then what was it?

But the Box Ghost, noticing something behind Danny, hollered, "Beware!" and flew away.

Wearily, Danny sighed. "At least he's gone for now. I'm sure that there's not any major trouble that I need to worry about."

"Guess again," a new voice hissed. Surprised, Danny whirled around to see a black figure emerging from the shadows. The person seemed to be wearing some kind of suit with red lines, and a long red scarf waved behind him. Deep, intense blue eyes, the only body part not covered, connected with Danny's glowing green eyes.

Danny was speechless. What was going on here? How long had that mysterious person been watching him? And by the cold look in his eyes, was he preparing to attack? After recomposing himself, Danny, feeling like the interviewer of the night, asked, "Wait, who are you?"

The person's eyes turned into narrow slits. "I am the Ninja. But now I have a question for you. Where is it?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Where is what?"

The Ninja crossed his arms. "I think we know the answer of that…"

"Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. Unless you're talking about my fist, then yes, I know exactly where it is. Wanna see it?"

"Are you trying to mess with me? If you're not going to tell me," The Ninja grunted, "Then I'll have to force it out." From his back, he pulled out a sword, and yelled "Ninja sword attack!" while running in Danny's direction. Danny, still shocked by the event playing out in front of him, watched in horror…

-TWO DAYS BEFOREHAND-

"I can't believe we got sent to another school temporarily because ours was too badly destroyed by the Fright Knight!" Tucker moaned in frustration. "How often has Casper High been damaged, yet we still are able to go there?"

Danny Fenton, the halfa at his boy form, was riding the bus with his friends towards the direction of their school. He had never considered the possibility of becoming an exchange student, but after his unexpected fight against the Fright Knight, he knew there was no choice. The school literally was a pile of rubble, but thankfully, no one had been hurt. Since adults would never let any high-schooler, especially freshmen like Danny who suffered at the hands of the popular kids, fully escape the confinements of school too long, an immediate exchange student plan was arranged with Amity Park and another town. Now, not only did Danny still have to suffer the wrath of Dash, but he also has to deal with a whole new set of students who may be just as harsh.

Sam's reply brought Danny's wandering mind back to real life. "You saw how horrible the outcome was. Thanks to Danny, the outcome was a lot less terrible. Besides, I think the whole idea of experiencing another school will be fun. Maybe I'll find some more outspoken friends to add to my best friend and boyfriend."

Danny couldn't help but grin. The "incident" had ended with everyone's memories about his secret identity, and all the other events during the meteorite heading towards earth, wiped away, except for his friends and his sister Jazz. But one thing that neither he nor Sam could ever forget was when they started to date. He knew that their relationship wouldn't always be so easygoing as it was now, but until then, he was enjoying every moment.

"True," Tucker explained. "Until Dash learns how to get around, it shouldn't be too hard to hide ourselves among our fellow students. And I can also finish downloading some upgrades to my PDA because there isn't any ghosts here to take up my time."

_Or at Amity Park either,_ at the moment, Danny thought with some relief. His parents had finished fixing the Ghost Portal, which Danny had accidentally destroyed a while ago to get rid of his powers. But knowing his parents, they would do fine in keeping Amity Park protected. He had also destroyed the missing Vlad's Ghost Portal so that if any ghosts would appear, it would be where he could find them easier. Thankfully, that meant no unstoppable supernatural activity would happen without him there.

"Do you think they'll listen to me changing the lunch menu?" Sam grinned slyly at Tucker.

"Oh, no you don't! I'll make sure that you won't separate me from my meat again!" Tucker exclaimed in horror and rage. "If I were still mayor, in fact, I'd absolutely make sure that- Hey! I see the school!"

The three friends froze and stared at the nice-looking school in front of them. With white walls, clear windows, and fresh, green grass, this place looked way better than Casper High did. Many students, all unfamiliar ones, were scattered throughout the school entrance. Above the entrance, a banner hung with the words "Welcome to Norrisville High!"

_This isn't Amity Park,_ Danny thought nervously.


	2. Mysterious Flowers

As Danny and the rest of the Casper High students gathered together inside the front entrance of the school, a tall woman with black hair and a dark red business suit smiled brightly at them. "Welcome, students of Casper High! My name is Miss Flowers. Principal Slimovitz hired me to help make this transition work out for both you and Norrisville. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!"

"Says the lady whose name sounds like it came from a sappy get well card," Sam muttered flatly.

"I know it's hard to deal with a new place, but Slimovitz wanted you to know that this school is clean, friendly, and monster-free zone! I'll give you a quick tour so you'll know where you'll be going, and tomorrow, you'll start your first marvelous day!"

As Miss Flowers showed everyone throughout the school, Tucker commented, "Wow! Whoever built the school should get credit for their design!"

"The school was built quite a while ago, but has constantly been renovated to stay modern. No one could count the amount of repairs are usually needed here…" Miss Flower didn't reveal any emotions about her response, but Danny had a hard time considering what could make so much damage. Not _every_ school could have ghosts lurking around, after all.

Throughout the halls, the Amity Park teens noticed the impressive variations of hairstyles and clothes. Quite of few kids even had different shades of blue and purple hair. A tall girl with a baton in her hands was talking to a shorter girl with a pink shirt and shorts. Inside one of the open lockers, a strange looking boy wearing a top hat was hanging upside down. Near a door with Miss Flowers' name on it, an orange-haired, overweight boy slouched in one of the chairs set out, his face full of frustration. Three students in band uniforms passed by, one holding a trombone, another with a triangle, and the third with braces and a flute. As far as the out-of-town kids could tell, this didn't have too many differences, except the goth in the locker.

Peeking at the students around, Tucker mumbled, "I wonder if we'll meet any girls…" He stopped when he noticed Danny and Sam's stare. "What? Now that you two are dating, I can at least hope to make other friends, mainly female friends, when you two are busy with each other."

"Well, I'm sure you'll meet girls, but I don't know if you'll hit bulls-eye right away," Danny replied. "Or, for that matter, be normal enough for you for once."

"Which means if I do make some new friends, my parents won't get nosy about it," Sam triumphantly added. "They're already uncomfortable about Danny becoming my boyfriend. If they find out that another bad influence has entered my life, something tells me I'll gain an army of bodyguards."

"Don't worry," Danny promised. "We should have nothing to fear, especially without any ghosts around to cause any panic. No big deal going on here."

His breezy words resulted in a slightly concerned look on Sam's face. "Careful, Danny. You haven't needed to deal with any ghost threats in a while, so you don't want to start acting careless."

"Did no one else notice that Miss Flowers said something about 'monster-free?'" Tucker inserted, scanning the area with notable fear.

Danny calmly waved a hand. "Relax, guys. There's nothing I can't take care of, and I doubt anything bad can come at me right now."

"Careful what you say, Fenton!" Dash taunted. Before Danny could say something back, Dash stuck a leg out, which Danny tripped over and collapsed on the floor. Dash smirked at him from above. "You geeks aren't out of my power yet!" Laughing, he hive-fived Kwan, then victoriously strode away with him and Paulina in tow. Danny glowered at the bully, but didn't go for revenge.

"Seriously, Dash?" Sam hollered after him. She helped Danny up, asking "Are you all right?"

Danny beamed at her. "Whenever you're around, I'm great." The two shared a romantic stare, with Tucker embarrassedly shifted his gaze to somewhere else.

Once the group was back at the front again, Miss Flower gave them their information of where each of them was staying. "Remember, we're all in this together!" Everyone groaned at her. "What?" she asked in confusion. "If you need any more information, please talk to me, the staff, or other students. We'll see you tomorrow!" She gave off one last cheery smile, and literally had a skip in her step as she left.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker watched her go. "Something about her isn't normal," Sam said with curiosity.

"Don't tell me her happiness is too much for your dark reality," Danny teased.

"Yes, it is, but that's not what I mean. While we were exploring the halls, she kept examining Norrisville students, like she's looking for something in particular. I'd say lets keep a good eye on her."

"Agreed," Danny replied, remembering the woman's weird actions. "Hey, where she was heading to anyway?"

* * *

Miss Flowers felt like her lips were going to fall off._ I really need to stop having caffeine before long talks,_ she thought with a little amusement. _Now it's on to another matter._ Strolling to her office, she checked to make sure the student she had put there after their chat was still in place. Sure enough, he was there, scowling at her with crossed arms. Ignoring his irritation, she opened the door, and sat down in her chair behind her desk, ready to talk to student #2 of the day. She was about to open her mouth when her cellphone rang. "Excuse me," she told the quiet student, and took the call.

She listened for a moment, and then sighed. "Yes, everything's going well right now…No, not quite yet…I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time locating it!" The somewhat impatient teen observed her serious demeanor as she lounged in her seat. "…Be patient. I assure you that we'll figure things out soon enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other important things to attend to_._ Goodbye." She put the phone away, and became less rigid and more relaxed with a very intent face. "Well, then, I'm sorry that took so long. Now, it's time we talked."

Slumping in his spot, Randy Cunningham wearily and nervously awaited his fate. He'd only encountered this new counselor a few times, but he wasn't enjoying the fact that he was in her room on bad terms. Hopefully, Howard didn't tell her about anything humiliating, or slipped a detail about his "school job."

Miss Flowers picked out Randy's information file and scanned through it. "It looks like nothing out of place is here. You're a freshman with averagely low grades and a history with occasional detentions for troublemaking. So I wanted to make sure you weren't planning anything. However, I found you and your friend smuggling toilet paper into the school. I'd like an answer, and please don't use the excuse of planning to teepee the school. You should clearly know that it's against the school rules after the most recent monster did it."

"Oh, that?" Randy explained. He realigned himself as best as possible, and carefully thought of a solution. "I thought that Howard and I could use them to surprise the newcomers. Picture this: the students are coming to a brand new place for the first time. They expect to see decency and perfection everywhere you go. But then boom! Of all things to appear, two kids wrapped in toilet paper start heading their way, acting like mummies with stiff body parts and moans. They have never seen anything so honkin' crazy. Afterwards, they wonder who would attempt such a ridiculous act, and then find out it was Howard and I, thus making us popular! Howard must've been off-track about what we were doing. No wonder we got caught."

"That's a very far-fetched plan, Mr. Cunningham…" Miss Flowers put the file back on her desk. "But reading into what else you've done, I guess I'm not surprised."

Randy inwardly felt his fear decrease. At one point, that probably would have been his plot. But now he preferred to stay out of the limelight most of the time so his secret of being the Ninja wouldn't get uncovered. Also, how would she believe that the reason they'd gotten that much toilet paper was to clean up a mess that a robot Randy had just defeated caused?_ Why did that robot, out of all robots, have to self-destruct in the bathroom? Nice one, Viceroy._

"After evaluating your record earlier today, I want to let you know I have an eye on both you and your friend. I intend to make the teenagers from Amity Park feel welcome and not stressed, which your wild actions won't."

"Once they find out how wonk we have it here, with the monsters, robots, and other catastrophes, I doubt they'll be less upset unless you had actually already told them." Randy had to face the chaos that came from stanked students; he didn't need twice the trouble.

"That's what I told Principal Slimovitz," Miss Flowers grumbled in defeat. "But he truly thinks that a monster-free zone can be achieved." She stood up. "If you help create any more messes that might affect anything in a negative way, I assure you that you won't get off as easy."

"As easy? Wait, do you mean…?"

"Yes, I do," Miss Flowers resolved. "I have something else I'm working on right now, and I don't feel up to putting anyone in detention. Just don't push the boundaries again, and you should be fine. You and Howard can go." She kindly gestured towards the door.

"Thank you!" Randy exclaimed with excitement. He left his chair and headed away to his escape.

Before he fully exited, he slightly hesitated when he heard her whisper, "Everything is going accordingly, for now." Her words struck him the wrong way, and he uneasily closed the door while looking over at Howard.

"Is that schoob done with us?" Howard grunted. "I really don't want to be stuck here any longer."

"Guess what, pal? She didn't throw us in detention! We're free freshmen!" The two did their typical sequences of spins and fist bumps, feeling successful. Once finished, Randy glanced over at the door. "I don't like her. The way she stared at me was not normal. It was as if she was hoping for me to say something that she wanted to hear, but-"

"Give it a break, Cunningham," Howard cut in. "You may do suspicious stuff, but if that's the way to learn who the Ninja is, I might as well be him. Don't worry so much. And don't forget we nearly finished cleaning the bathroom, so we won't get in greater trouble for that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Randy replied. "By the way, Miss Flowers' window was really dark. Did you catch a worthwhile glimpse of the exchange students?" He eagerly leaned in.

"Well, it was definitely an interesting bunch. There was a goth girl, a few jocks that may equal up to Bash's wrath, some pretty girls, and plenty of others. We're going to have lots of fun with at least a few of them, that I'm sure of." Howard signaled his opinion with two thumbs up.

"The next few weeks are going to be the cheese! As long as they don't increase the amount of stankage, I bet nothing can go wrong!" The enthusiastic friends deserted the front of Miss Flowers' office. Neither noticed the woman viewing them silently with a small smile. _They have no idea…_


	3. Fruit Ninjas

"So, how's your day been so far?" Tucker asked as he, Danny, and Sam strolled through the hallways. They had only been at a normal day of Norrisville for a few hours, and this was the first time they had come in contact since getting there.

"Not bad," Sam replied. "Of course, this is still school, so only so much can be good."

"Same here," Danny agreed. "At least I haven't encountered Dash yet."

Tucker pulled out his schedule. "Until now. All three of us were lucky enough to get in the same gym class taught by Coach Green next period, but I think I heard from somewhere that Dash also has it."

"Great," Danny muttered glumly. "My first school conflict, but it's just like my original school conflict!"

Sam sighed. "I doubt that's the only thing wrong with gym class. Coach Green apparently is very out of control. If the nervous whispers about dodgeball were right, we might not be out of the woods yet."

"Seriously, it's only dodgeball. I've dodged more powerful things than that. It can't be too bad…" Danny responded calmly.

* * *

"Nevermind, this is really bad." Danny shakily stood in the middle of the gym. Tucker and Sam seemed just as nervous as he did. Coach Green hadn't blown his whistle to start the game, but Danny was sure that his fear had peaked to as high as it could get.

"All righty, students," Coach Green announced with his British accent. "It's time to play a thrilling game of dodgeball with fruits!" He blew the whistle, and Dash and another muscular kid with brown hair began throwing fruit everywhere.

Danny and his friends screamed as they ran towards the barrier set up on their side of the gym, a propped-up folding table. Once safely behind, Tucker gasped with exhaustion. "Wow, Sam, I told you fruits were bad, but this is ridiculous!"

"I still disagree with you," Sam grunted. "But who ever thought of using coconuts, pineapples, and watermelons as balls?!" She peeked over the table, but immediately ducked down as three apples whizzed by.

"Be thankful, you've never been here on a day of hopscotch!" Hiding on the other side of the table, the orange-haired kid who'd been sitting by Miss Flowers' office was crouched down, a lanky kid with purple hair kneeling next to him. "Now, come on, grab a banana! I'm starving!"

"You realize that there's greater worries right now than eating!" The purple-haired kid sighed, turning around from his glancing corner to scowl at the other kid. "Until he's run out of painful objects, Bash won't be throwing any bananas any time soon!"

"Wait, don't you mean Dash?" Danny asked confusedly as he snatched a nearby cantaloupe and hurled it across the gym.

"No, you newbies don't know him, do you?" The orange-haired kid quickly pointed at the muscular guy. "Bash Johnson, step-son of the wealthy McFist, and all-around bully. It's him who you should be concerned about."

"Believe me, for us, it's Dash Baxter. Tucker and I aren't the only ones, but we usually get pushed into a locker or get the brunt of his beating." _If he knew I was_ _Danny Phantom, though,_ Danny thought with a little amusement, _his actions would be a lot different around me…_

"Well, then, you worry about Dash, and we'll stick to fearing Bash…" The purple-haired boy's voice trailed off, and he and the rest of everyone behind the table awkwardly said nothing at his words of truth. "Okay, that's really disturbing."

All conversation was cut short when a pomegranate knocked the barrier over. All five students cried in horror as they scrambled away from the oncoming produce. Danny wished more than ever he could use his ghost ray to stop the endless slaughter, or at least go intangible, but he knew the consequences if he started using his powers in the wrong way. Without any thought to where he was going, he dived behind a new barrier, and discovered that he must've gone a different way than Tucker and Sam. Huddled in this area was once again the two kids from earlier, along with the goth kid, whose dark hat still rested on his head, and a mousey-looking blonde kid with frantic brown eyes. It was quiet for a second, until the blonde kid wailed, "I can't take this pressure anymore!" and ran squealing away from the barrier. All four hiders grimaced when they heard the kid being hit.

"Bucky, you're out! That leaves only five people on this quickly diminishing team!" Coach Green's still excited face made Danny decide something: The quicker the game was over, the better. As an orange flew above him, he snatched it, and threw it hard towards a person on the other team. The guy collapsed, with Coach Green signaling him to the sidelines.

The goth kid fell over as he grabbed something. He leaned up, revealing a golden bundle. "Look! We have bananas!"

"Gimme that!" The orange-haired kid grunted, grabbing one and eating it. The other two took some as well, but didn't bother to take a bite. Confused at what would be improved by eating the weapons, Danny was about to question it, but halted when he instantly figured out what they were planning. Snatching one himself, he first threw the unpeeled banana, and with the others, tossed the banana peels in the pathway of the other team. Sure enough, Dash stepped on one and immediately slipped and crash-landed. Bash and the other team members hit the floor.

"Now!" Purple-hair kid called, speedily leaping from behind the table and throwing any fruity object he could find. Danny and everyone else hiding emerged, quickly taking advantage of the situation, and flinging everything at their hardest. Unfortunately, some of the bullies were doing a good job catching the projectiles and returning it with greater force. In front of him, the goth kid was knocked over with a couple mangoes, and somewhere nearby, Danny heard his friends let out little yelps of pain, signaling their finale in the game. Even Orange-hair kid, who was doing unusually well dodging for a guy of his build, experienced a kumquat in the face, but not before eliminating Bash with a dozen strawberries to the leg. That left Danny and Purple-hair Kid against Dash.

"Watch out, Fenton. I'm going to turn you into a fruit salad!" Dash hissed, holding a watermelon in each tense hand.

Danny checked around for a worthy weapon, and seized a tomato, his hands slightly trembling. _Does this really count as a fruit?_ He thought humorlessly. He embraced himself as best as possible. The teen behind him picked up a lemon and stayed as still as a predator who only attacks at the last second available. _We can do this… I think._

Dash threw one of the watermelons like he would during a game of football. Both Danny and the purple-haired kid sprung out of its way. Heart pumping, mind racing, he heard Sam's words echo: _don't be careless_. Wasn't this a case when he could somewhat use his powers, though? It wasn't like he wasn't thinking about the results…

Before thinking anymore, Dash propelled the other watermelon at him. Danny's natural instinct was to go partly intangible, but he never got the chance. Purple-hair Kid intervened by catching it, nearly falling backwards due to the energy. Danny's mouth opened to express gratitude, only to widen in shock. Unbalanced, the kid wasn't able to miss a lime in the shoulder. He dropped to the gym floor, the lemon rolling off of his stunned hand.

Danny frantically stepped back, and took an aim at Dash. Alas, it ended up landing a few inches from his opponent's feet, making a dull squish. Dash grinned in success, and chucked a still-fresh grapefruit.

* * *

"How's your head feeling?" Sam's face of concern didn't lessen the throbbing in Danny's head.

"Not too good, I'm afraid. I never thought I'd be telling the nurse that I got knocked out by a grapefruit! If I hadn't been so freaked out, I might've used some ghost power to escape it." He gently pressed an ice pack on his bruise one last time before releasing the melted bag into the garbage.

"You should hear all the impressed comments from the Norrisville students afterwards." Tucker attempted to uplift. "They thought you had guts to take on such a terrible fate. I think someone said you were awesome, and that the whole dodgeball thing even happening was… wacko? I think that's what he said. The kids talk really weird here."

As the sun shone cheerfully, the friends made their way out of the school. Sam watched the goth kid limp by, probably still suffering from his own injury. "While you were with the school nurse, Tucker and I met a few kids. That fellow goth is Julian; he is a bit too full of energy, but who am I to judge one of my kind? He invited us to sit with him and his friends tomorrow at lunch. It's called the Monster Klub. I'm really starting to enjoy it here okay, besides your downfall."

Danny knew his friends were trying their best to uplift his spirit, so he nodded. "That sounds like fun. As long as they aren't fruit ninjas like Dash and that other team, I'm up for it." An uprising thought made him chuckle. "Speaking of Dash, I heard he got sent to detention. It's great that here, they sort of actually take care of bullies."

Tucker was awestruck. "Wow, that can truly happen? I thought that was a-"

He was interrupted when a cold wisp escaped Danny's mouth. He instantly stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, there shouldn't be any here. That's impossible! How could they-"

In the sky, Danny spotted him with his metal battle suit and flaming green hair with eyes to match. Although it had been quite some time since they had last met, Danny knew from the beady sheen in his eyes that the rules were the same: Danny was the hunted, and he was the hunter.

"Skulker, what are you doing here?"


	4. Silly Swap Day

He'd dealt with his fair share of cuts and bruises from his Ninja tasks. He'd faced monsters and robots often, yet it was a lime hitting his shoulder that had caused his greatest pain of the day.

Randy wearily went into his room and flung his backpack onto the couch. Howard's ringtone led him to sit down and take the call. "Hey man, how's the mark on your face?"

"Don't remind me. I think the Coach out-Greened himself this time. At least you weren't bashed into unconsciousness like that exchange student. Seriously, the way his arms flailed on the way to the ground was crazy."

Randy cringed a bit at the memory. "Yeah, that whole moment was wonk. I intended to ask if he was all right later in the day, but I never saw him again. That must've been one blow."

"Hah! Says the guy who's felt more iron fists that anyone else he knows. By the way, did you see Miss Flowers today patrolling the cafeteria? Her focus was always on a backpack or bag. Why did Slimovitz hire her anyway? She does little to no help. In fact, she rarely pays attention to any Amity Park kids."

"I'm sure there's _some_ reason. Maybe she assumes that they do fine without her most of the time?"

"Perhaps, but even that is unlikely. Oh well, it's not that important… not as important as me beating you at Grave Puncher! Come on, you know you want to do it!"

The thought of playing his favorite video game with his best friend was tempting, but Randy wasn't up to it. "Sorry, buddy, but I have loads of homework. How about you freshen up for a future challenge, since I'll totally beat you."

Smirking, he could imagine Howard's horrified expression turn to energized rage. "You're on, Cunningham! You'll be sorry you said lies about my awesome gaming skills! Goodbye!"

With their conversation finished, Randy pulled out his textbooks, but stopped when he grabbed the NinjaNomicon, his book of all ninja wisdom. Whenever he needed help, or the Nomicon had vital information for him, he'd be drawn into a state of mind in the book-like world to learn, while his physical body would be left staring blankly and drooling. He didn't have any plans of looking in it today, but the cover was flashing red light, a sign that he needed to take a look. He muttered, "This better not be anything too serious," and peeked inside the pages, only to immediately collapse onto his couch, no longer in sync with the real world

* * *

"Skulker, what are you doing here?" Danny stood with energized muscles, preparing for his unexpected battle of the day.

"Well," the robotic ghost replied with a threatening smile, "I was doing some work when I came across you. But as they say, the early bird catches the worm, and I see I got a chance to capture you today."

"Oh, please," Danny grumbled, flapping a hand. "You shouldn't have. Coming this far to hang out with me, that's too sweet."

"Careful with your mouth, whelp. I found a portal here to escape from, one that's not guarded by you or your family." Skulker cracked his knuckles. "But now it's time for less talking, and more fighting. Today, I will get my reward and place it on my wall."

Danny peered for anyone nearby who could spot him, and returned to the mounting storm. "Sorry guys," he explained to his friends next to him. "But we know what I have to do. I'm going ghost!" A blue circle of light appeared around Danny's waist, and split in two, going up and down his body. Gone were his jeans, t-shirt, and shoes, replaced by a black and white jumpsuit with a symbol of his name on his chest. His black hair and sky blue eyes vanished to white hair and bright green eyes. The circles dissolved, leaving behind the powerful and heroic Danny Phantom.

"Hey, it's fine by us." Sam happily admitted. "It gets kind of boring without some supernatural activity. We'll be here."

Danny shared a tender look with her, before soaring into the air and punching Skulker in the jaw. His enemy crashed into a light pole, causing it to hit the pavement. Without any time for Danny to boast about his victory, Skulker shot six missiles at him. Danny went intangible, but regretted it as soon as the missiles exploded behind him, shooting debris across the street. To his relief, it was only an empty car that had been destroyed. However, knowing that this was a neighborhood they were in at the moment, he resolved to end the battle right away for once before any innocent bystanders were injured.

Pulling out the Fenton Thermos, which he felt grateful that Jazz had told him to bring it along with them just in case, he pointed it at Skulker. "I know we usually share witty banter and I kick your butt afterwards, but I like to keep things out of order to keep things unique."

"So do I," Skulker hissed, aiming his fist at Danny. Powerful green beams of ecto energy came out, and Danny was pushed far away from the original place he was floating. In case of a house below, Danny briefly went intangible and collided with other objects.

Unsteadily, he arose, only to perceive he was in someone's room, with a bunk bed, posters, and a TV. To add to his surprise, he recognized a human body under him. "Whoops, sorry…" he embarrassedly apologized as he stood up on the floor. The person, who was in fact Purple-hair Kid from earlier, almost appeared dead, as his blue eyes weren't staring at anything, and even drool was coming from his mouth. "Ew… Er, hello? Anyone alive in there?" He waved his hand in front of the kid, without prevail. The person, after a good watch, was probably just passed out and unconscious, so Danny quietly distanced himself from him, a little afraid that it was contagious. Grabbing what he assumed was the thermos without checking, he leaped into the air and intangibly left the house.

Skulker was waiting for him, seemingly ready to blast him with anything from his high-tech battle suit. "Not this time! Get ready to be… booked?" Where the thermos should be was instead a book with red markings and a green symbol in the center. "Well, this is humiliating," Danny flatly murmured, analyzing his error of snatching the wrong object in the very strange kid's room.

"Wow, ghost boy, you have somewhat improved since we last met. But if you think this kind of power can defeat me, then you've been in school too long." Skulker sneered while attempting to blast him. Danny dodged as best as possible, and reminding himself that they were still in a populated area, he flew off while still holding the book.

Followed by Skulker, Danny contemplated his options of stopping him without the Thermos to trap him. Peeping over his shoulder, he thought of options, yet didn't see the piece of metal in the junkyard in front of him. Bang! Danny, his head ringing, stopped in his tracks, only to whirl around with Skulker pointing a missile at him. "Time's up! You can't get out of this!"

His words sparked an idea in Danny's mind. "But I can get you out of this! Just stay still!" He discharged ice at Skulker, trapping the startled robot in a frozen block. "And now, it's break time!" Danny lifted a large piece of metal, which kind of had a face on it, and with all his might, threw it downwards. Metal and ice sprinkled everywhere, and just as Danny had hoped, it had badly crunched Skulker's suit.

An intangible, tiny green ghost departed from the suit. Danny was set to get some answers about the ghost portal, but the much less threatening Skulker squeaked "This isn't over! You won't stop me from successfully hunting you, or hiding the location of the new ghost portal! I will not fail!" Already ahead of Danny's interrogation, the ghost sailed off and disappeared from Danny's sight.

"Dang it, I lost him. Now I'll never figure out how someone else besides my parents built a ghost portal." Danny's shoulders sagged in disappointment. "I need to tell Sam and Tucker so we can start searching for it. Sam was right; as a half ghost, I never should get too careless on the job." He soared away to where his friends likely were, with the thought of ghosts in Norisville in his mind, the Fenton Thermos and mysterious book fading from his memory.

* * *

Randy found himself moving through the book, images and words flashing past him. A white banner began to twirl around him, until it stopped in front of him so he could read it. "Your greatest foe can be your greatest friend.

"Wait, what the juice?" Randy skimmed through the line again, frustrated. "What's that supposed to mean, Nomicon? Usually you're tellin' me 'beware the bad guy who's disguised as the good guy' or 'friends are evil.' This is the total opposite of any of those! Are you pulling my leg?"

The pages surrounding him began to bizarrely flicker, like a light switch going back and forth. Randy yelled in shock as he was sucked through the book before the world went totally black.

Randy gasped, coming back to consciousness and sitting up straight. He moaned at the out of nowhere pain in his body. Had something landed on him during his time in the Nomicon? Reminded of the Nomicon, he scanned his lap, then the floor, and then the room, as curiosity turned to bewilderment, which turned to alarm. The ninja book was nowhere to be seen! Panicked, he searched the room. Every cranny and nook, high and low, inside or out, but he couldn't find it.

Fully dismayed, he mindlessly mumbled, "Oh no, no no no no! Where is it? It was right hereeaaaahh!" Randy tripped over something curved, and struck the floor. "This wasn't here before…" He picked up the object and suspiciously examined it. It was a silver thermos, nothing like any he'd ever seen. It wasn't Howard's, so whose owner left it here? "Maybe the book-snatcher took it and forgot to take this!" He glowered at his only evidence. "This guy will not get away with it! No one steals the Ninja's book of knowledge and flees without costs!"


	5. Mission Nomicon

"So this is what I found instead of the Nomicon." Randy pointed at the thermos that was in his other hand.

Howard, who'd generously come over to check out the situation, rubbed his chin with contemplation. "You were right to say it isn't mine. I've never seen anything like it. But do you think there's anything inside, like soup, perhaps?"

At times like this, Randy appreciated having a friend who knew about his secret of being the Ninja and occasionally pointed out the obvious that he'd missed. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't think of that. Let's take a look!" He pulled off the cap on the thermos, but immediately jerked backwards when a blue beam of light shot from its depths. "Whoa!" he yelled as he and Howard ducked under the table to avoid the beam. But as soon as Randy let go of it, the light stopped spouting, leaving a blue wisp behind before it vanished as well.

"You know, I don't know whether to say soup containers aren't as safe as I remembered, or that this is the cheese." Howard brushed himself off and carefully sat upward, waiting for the thermos to do something again.

Randy cautiously grabbed it and looked at the button that he supposed had started the frenzy. But inspecting his room for any damage, he was surprised that absolutely nothing had been affected. His eyes returned to the thermos with suspicion and wonder. "That had to have had some kind of purpose, but it didn't destroy anything… What kind of robber has a thermos with that ability anyway?"

"Hmmm, well, one's thing for sure. This guy's got awesome technology on his side. You think McFist and Viceroy are responsible?"

At first, Randy nearly agreed, but then a stark awareness came over him that added uneasiness to the building heist. "Hold on a sec, I wasn't wearing the Ninja suit, and they would've either destroyed me or captured me if they had known it was the Ninja or that I owned the Ninja's book. There's no way that it was them. Which might mean that the robber learned I'm the Ninja if he found me with the Nomicon!" _Thank goodness I'm not anywhere near the Sorcerer right now,_ he thought with minimum humor, _because I am stressing a _lot.

His bromigo's hands in his hair, Howard wasn't blind to his escalating desolation. "I'm having a hard time seeing the problem with this. Do we really have enough idea to say the guy's figured it out just by a cover and you out of it?"

'Yeah, I guess you're right. But until we find out, I need to be very careful. It's too late to start searching tonight, but tomorrow at school, I can start my investigation."

Howard tilted his head incredulously. "Cunningham, you're not actually thinking someone from _school_ did this?"

Randy helplessly shrugged. "I don't know, but where else to start if I'm stuck there for a large chunk of the day? And if I don't find it soon, I'm endangering the secrets of the Ninja." He gestured towards the thermos. "Besides, this is a thermos. Some kid might take this object to school in this… disguise. It's all I have to go off now right now."

"Okay, and if you need any help, I'm here for you… except during any of my feeding times." Howard grinned supportively. "And really, what could happen to it anyway?"

Grateful, Randy answered, "Anything, but until then, thanks."

* * *

People weaved through the hallways like busy ants at rush hour. Randy strolled as he usually would, but kept waiting for something out of the ordinary. For a moment, he sagged at the adjustment of weight in his backpack from the missing Nomicon and the added thermos, but quickly straightened and pushed his nervous feelings back into his edgy soul. Now, especially where the Sorcerer thrived below from making chaos out of kids-turned-monsters with his stank, was not the place to lose control.

"Hey, Randy!" Theresa Fowler waved at him at her locker, her best friend Debbie Kang and the female goth from a few of his classes surrounding her. Deciding the distraction would do him good, he headed in their direction. Theresa seemed pleased by his choice, and softly smiled. "I want you to meet Sam Manson, one of the exchange students. Julian introduced her to me yesterday. Sam, this is one of my friends, Randy."

"Pleased to meet you." Randy addressed his gothic peer, considering how she wasn't scowling or acting depressed. _She better not be _too_ parallel to Julian…_

"Likewise." Sam coolly grinned. Randy for some reason could tell she was probably very down-to-earth and sensible. Her outfit wasn't exactly normal, but her violet eyes glimmered with intelligence. In her arms were a bundle of papers. He was able to skim the heading of one that was facing him, and nearly stumbled over the words: PARANORMAL RECORDS IN NORRISVILLE.

"Don't get me wrong, but that's an interesting subject you're holding." Randy remarked, hoping he didn't come off too captivated. Supernatural activity? Sure, he'd faced a demon bird he'd accidentally released, whom Howard got the misfortune of being possessed by, but he'd never dealt with any ghosts throughout his freshman year.

Instead of getting flustered, Sam simply shrugged. "Actually, this is just information I'm helping my boyfriend find. He comes from a family of ghost hunters."

"Ghost hunters." Debbie Kang's face clearly was skeptical, her hands on her hips. "People can't be that crazy in believing that such a thing can be a job."

"Just come to Amity Park one day, and you might change your mind. Ghosts are always haunting the town. Most of them cause trouble, so ghost hunters, at least the truly talented ones, are nice to have protecting everyone…" Sam opened her assigned locker and stuffed the papers inside. She didn't dare add the fact that her friends and her mission with the information was to locate the ghost portal that Skulker had publicized to Danny. _Too bad he lost the thermos, but at least he's focused on the search… _She let the thought go from her mind for the moment, and asked Theresa and Debbie, "So, is there any fun places to go around here? My friends and I would like to explore Norrisville more."

While the girls continued chatting, Randy's mind reeled with a new thought. The notion had to be absurd, but what else could explain how someone stole the Nomicon without leaving a mark in his room? And ghosts with technology seemed far-fetched, but maybe it wasn't. Is it true? Did a spirit take the Nomicon? He was doubtful for a brief second, but after thinking it over, he was almost completely sure that _had_ to be the explanation. How could a guy who thought monsters and robots on a daily basis decide ghosts were impossible suspects for anything?

"Randy, are you alright?" Theresa's concerned question reawakened Randy to reality, and confused gazes pinned him on the spot.

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine. Just remembered something I need to do, that's all." _Find a ghost that owns a thermos, that's _definitely_ easier to say than do._

Sam raised an eyebrow, curious by her new acquaintance's reaction. It didn't seem like there was much to him, except being a typical teen with a hair color she somewhat envied. _I guess I don't know him well enough, but I bet he and Danny would get along nicely._ But knowing Danny, he also came off as normal, yet had ghost powers and a very courageous heart. And Randy had been oddly talented at dodging the fruit and waiting for the exact moment to attack. Yes, she'd need to have him on her radar if he was nearby.

Debbie Kang appeared very annoyed at Randy. "Do you _ever_ pay attention? We were talking about places to go for fun and socializing."

Immediately, hiding his excitement as much as possible, Randy grinned. "If you're a gamer, try Greg's Gamehole. In fact, I'm one of the best players there, much to my almost-as-great best bro Howard's irritation. You and your friends game to outdo such a gifted person like me?"

"Oh no, you didn't just challenge me and my fellow pals to a video gaming challenge." Sam retorted, pretending to be shocked and insulted. "I have things going on, but soon, I'll take that offer." _After Danny, Tucker, and I fix this ghostly mess._

Theresa beamed. "Randy will probably defeat you, though. He's really awesome at stuff like that."

"Aw, thanks, Fowler," Randy warmly stated. Next to him, Sam had an amused, all-knowing smile, which deeply confused him. "Sorry, ladies, but I have to get to work on something. See you later!" He departed them, all the while his heart filling with renewed confidence and his brain configuring a plan: update Howard on this theory, learn more about ghosts, perhaps from Sam's boyfriend if they ever intercepted, and begin the quest to force the ghost thief to return his important NinjaNomicon.

* * *

Creaking, shuddering, and thudding. Those are the sounds one would hear at the dump where Norrisville's major junk, including the many demolished robots, scattered the dirt ground. Dozens of robo-apes. A mantis with its legs in the air like a real dead bug. A pack of chainsaw-werewovles and a disassembled man with various arms. The only thing that did not look like the others was a book lying in the open space.

Footsteps became evident, as a dark figure appeared, walking through the dump slowly. The wind started to blow, as if to make way for the stranger. The man froze once he spotted the book. Hastily, he hurried to the item, and stopped once he stood above it. He leaned down, picked it up, and examined the black cover. It was almost too amazing to be true. But here it was, the thing that was essential for his plan, in his hands.

He felt through a pocket. Within the hole, he touched sharp chards and some old, folded papers until he located his cellphone. He hit a button, and held it to his ear. After a few seconds, a voice picked up with a little static. "Hello? Anything you need?"

"No worries," the man evilly smiled. "I think I already found what I need. It's not you-know-who, but that can come in all good time. For now, we just need a few more things done to get my plan in action. And poor Danny Phantom won't be able to stop me!" His wild voice cackled though the desolate wasteland.


	6. The Stage is Set

Before I continue, thanks to everyone who's read this story! This is my first fanfiction, so I'm glad to hear I'm doing well and captivating readers!

* * *

Between Sam and Tucker, Danny took time to consider he was sitting at a table with a clown, a baton-twirler, an accordion player, and Julian, goth and leader of this "Klub." Students residing at surrounding tables kept peeking at them, as if they were shocked that anyone would try hanging out with these people. Danny felt fine with these strangers, however. After fighting many different types of ghosts, what in normal life should be so horrific?

"Welcome to the Der Monster Klub, guests," Julian announced in his creepy way. "Here, we join together as classmates to play games of power!"

"We used to play a game to get revenge on those who've done wrong to us," Theresa explained. "But after some foggy event, someone destroyed our game. So, we just do other games, talk, and stuff."

_Guys, we're not in normal town anymore…_ Danny thought uncomfortably, positive that at least Tucker would agree with him. "Why do you call yourselves that name? Is monster supposed to be figurative or literal?"

Juggo, the student who apparently wore clown clothes 24/7, answered, "We get the title from the monsters at this school who-" Theresa's glare halted any further explanation.

"Wait, there's monsters at this school?" Sam asked, now leaning forward with interest. Danny also was attentive to the word. Ghosts weren't unusual to him, but _monsters?_ Juggo didn't seem to be joking, oddly enough.

"It's not anything, or so Slimovitz says," Theresa replied. "He thinks saying anything about monsters to the exchange students would scare them and be inaccurate, because he believes that he's succeeded at his 'no monster policy.' Miss Flowers is supposed to assure that no one gets the wrong ideas."

Reminded of Miss Flowers, Danny spotted her calmly standing against a wall, observing the entire cafeteria. He thought he saw her mouth the words, "Where is he hiding?" She wasn't paying any attention to the exchange students; she likely would've never known that Juggo had slipped up. Instead, she was spying on Norrisville boys, not disturbingly, but still as if she was checking for something. _There has to be a reason for it,_ he thought uneasily, _but what is it?_

Tucker was struggling to open a carton of milk. "Well, monsters here, and ghosts at home. Is there really such thing as a school without out-of-the-ordinary issues?" Suddenly, the carton finally jerked open, but spilled milk over a shocked Tucker _Waah-waah-waah-waaaaaaaaah! _Out of nowhere, a band member wearing shades played a sad trombone. As he walked away, Tucker frowned. "That's annoying…"

"You'll have to get used to that. Stevens does it a lot." Dave mumbled, still wearing his tired face.

Just as Danny was about to comment, his ghost sense went off. Startled, he expected something to jump out of nowhere into the room. Thankfully, nothing happened, but he knew from experience that ghosts didn't just disappear if he sensed their presence. _Well, we're in the cafeteria, so that means… Oh, great. _Danny immediately figured where he needed to go.

"I need to go… somewhere." Danny awkwardly excused himself, standing up and stepping over the seat.

Everyone else appeared confused, so Tucker, who could tell what was going on, cut in. "He just needs to go to refresh himself. I think I might've got some milk on him."

Sam jumped right in. "Yeah, we'll be here waiting for you."

Danny nodded his thanks and headed into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, at another table, Howard's mouth dropped. "A _ghost?!_ Have you lost your mind?"

"Of course not. But it makes sense when you think about it." Across from Howard, Randy had explained his discoveries, and had expected Howard's reaction. "You've dealt with a demon bird before, anyway. Why would this shock you?"

Howard scowled. "Don't remind me. I still have occasional memories of feathers growing out of my body. And because there isn't a mind wipe… But really, we've never come across ghosts before. Just because some goth had papers on it, you believe that's what happened?"

"Howard, I know it sounds crazy. But until I find the Nomicon, anything goes." Randy rested his clasped hands on the table wearily.

Howard froze, whispering, "It's the Flowers lady. You better not say another word about the you-know-what unless she goes away. I really, really don't trust her, and that's saying a lot for a guy like me who usually doesn't catch on to the bad guys before you."

Miss Flowers was staring at them like a cat. Nervously pretending not to feel her gaze, Randy turned away and barely nodded to Howard. Hopefully, she hadn't heard anything… or had she?

_Crash! _Randy jolted at the clanging from the cafeteria. "What the juice?" he gasped while finding its origin of the kitchen.

"Probably nothing, man," Howard grunted, but Randy knew better than to let such a noise slide.

"Hey, I'll just take a check to make sure there isn't a robot or something tearing it up. I'll be back in a flash." Ignoring Howard's irritated groan, Randy left his seat and tried his best to not appear suspicious as he speed-walked to get a look through the kitchen door.

As soon as he opened the door a bit, he was baffled. The whole room seemed darker, as if to point out to two glowing figures floating in the air. One was a lunch lady with pink and white attire and a face twisted in rage. On the opposite side was a teen with white hair, green eyes, and a black and white jumpsuit. Both were in poses that promised an intense battle. And Randy instantly realized he was witnessing something way beyond his full understanding.

The Lunch Lady Ghost growled at her foe. "Are you here to change the menu? I won't let you or your friend do it again!"

The ghost boy crossed his arms. "C'mon! Can't you just let that past event go? I do not want to do this right now, especially here. You already interrupted my lunch."

"Do not doubt my protein-powered wrath!" Out of nowhere, she reverted to a sweeter voice. "Do you want some chicken?"

Danny flew towards her. "Nope, I've already eaten. I just need some exercise!" Shooting ghost rays from his hands, one blast knocked the Lunch Lady Ghost into some cabinets, spewing pots and pans across the floor.

Randy, still hidden behind the door, was trembling. "Ghosts, I'm seeing honkin' ghosts!" He whispered with astonishment. To assume they existed was interesting in itself, but to actually be _viewing_ ghosts in real life was unbelievable. Inwardly, he hoped that he wouldn't be noticed. As tempting as it was to put the Ninja Mask on and join in, he didn't have any training in battling ghosts.

Furious, the Lunch Lady Ghost caused some containers of meat to open and fly towards Danny. "Ehh!" he gagged as meat splattered his outfit. "Hey, I'm not a frying pan!"

_I think those are leftovers from Taco Tuesday,_ Randy thought, mentally shuddering.

Danny, also disgusted, glowered at the ghost, and turned intangible to get the greasy food off himself. More than ever, he longed to finish this battle and get out of there. The Lunch Lady Ghost seemed to expect this, too. "So, where's your thermos, child? You're definitely not putting up such a fight."

Danny sagged grouchily. How long before every ghost began to catch on to his lack of ghost containers? "Well, that's none of your business. For now, I'll just have to drive you off by force." He used a few more ghost ray blasts at her, which were enough to put her at unease and make her exit from the kitchen. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't return to make more catastrophes, but until then, Danny loosened his muscles and released a sigh of relief. "That could've been much worse."

Shortly afterwards, though, he facepalmed. "Darn it! I forgot to ask about the ghost portal, and I don't have enough time to chase her down!" Upset, he inspected the room, grateful that the aftermath wasn't too immense. "Okay, next time, I need to not let them slip away out of my hands! I don't have a clue where the thermos is, and even if there is actual monsters here, I doubt they make this kind of rubble."

_Creeeeaaaakk!_ Danny froze. Afraid we was being watched, he turned to the door. Whoever had been there wasn't around anymore. The door was slightly open, but no one was peering in. Edgy, Danny went intangible and invisible to go through the wall and catch the spy in his or her tracks. Unfortunately, the room was too livid with students to reveal who'd snuck away.

If someone had seen him, that could mean trouble for himself and the school. Deciding to hide before the intruder might come back, Danny flew back into the bathroom to change back.

Randy, who'd accidentally leaned on the door too much, had departed hastily before he became a potential target. Sliding back into his seat in front of Howard and mumbling an "I'm back," he pondered if he should say anything to him about the ghosts, the fight, and most importantly, the revelation from the younger looking one. Nah, there was too many eyes and ears to pull that off without coming off as crazy. He'd explain it to Howard later.

Ghosts. Real live ghosts. And a ghost portal? Randy still couldn't comprehend what he'd perceived. But he'd found out enough; the younger ghost had to be the owner of the thermos. Somehow, though, Randy was more confused. It had appeared that he'd been the one getting rid of the ghost lunch lady. How did that make sense?

_Your greatest foe can be your greatest friend. _The Nomicon's last advice returned to him, only to make his head hurt even more. Did that mean the ghost who'd stolen the Nomicon might be a good guy? After another moment of thinking about it, Randy was certain it was best to forget the concept. Good guy or not, this ghost had taken his book, and he wanted, no, _needed _it back. For now, he was his enemy. _Tonight, let's see if I can locate him and finish this mess, _Randy thought with resolve. Hoping to distract himself until later, Randy began chatting with Howard once more.

Reverted back to his human self, Danny returned to the table, noticing that his friends seemed to be having a good time. When he sat down next to Sam, she lightly asked, "How did it go?"

Everyone else was intent on conversation, so Danny didn't have a tricky time quietly responding. "I need to start searching Norrisville tonight to make sure there isn't any ghost problems and find the ghost portal. Without the thermos, there's no way I can stop them. And what's worse is…"

"What's worse?"

Danny skimmed the lunchroom. "I think someone saw me in action. I could be wrong, but I heard the door creak. And it was _closed_ when I originally went inside."

"Hmm, I should've been paying more attention. But there's so many students Amity Park and Norrisville alike that it's hard to get a good view of any door in this place."

"That's what concerns me. This school hasn't dealt with ghosts before. And the last thing I want to do is create fear from the staff and notice from Danny Phantom fans and foes."

"What about the monsters? Maybe the school would take it a lot better than we suspect."

"True, but we don't know a thing about the monsters. We'll have to learn more about those soon. But at least the school's done well in keeping it hidden. As for me, I've never done a great job keeping a low profile, and who can blame me? I hunt very unhidden ghosts all the time. So the sooner I stop this whole outburst of ghosts and what's responsible for it, the better."

"We'll start then by searching through your stuff for what Jazz stuck in there. If necessary we can even talk to her at school and get her assistance. If tonight's when you want to start, let's go for it."

"Thanks, Sam." Danny wrapped his arm around her, and turned forward to join into the conversation. If only he was prepared to confront a second problem caused by an accident and involving a ninja…


	7. Fiery Ice and Icy Fire

Above Danny, the sky was darkening, disguising the buildings under a never-ending shadow. He had gone ghost and was patrolling Norrisville in hopes of finding evidence for the ghost portal's location. Sam and Tucker were exploring somewhere below, asking about any unusual sightings and scanning whatever seemed suspicious. They all had curfews, so using the little time they had was essential.

Danny pulled out his phone when he heard his ringtone. Already expecting who it was, he asked "Any luck?"

"No," Tucker's voice responded. "We've gone to a lot of places, but this town is huge! It makes me miss Amity Park, where we knew the areas ghosts would probably be."

"Same here. I think I just passed a futuristic pyramid, and there's a mountain in the horizon. But it's nothing like Amity Park. I wish we had Frostbite's map, maybe that would help us…" A light bulb clicked in Danny's mind. "Wait a minute, do you think we could just borrow the map? If someone heads over to the Fenton Portal and retrieves it, we can either find it in the ghost zone or back here."

Tucker sighed. "I wish we could, but Frostbite hid it somewhere and safe after the whole situation with Vlad stealing it to find the asteroid and nearly destroying us all! He told us that it wouldn't be taken out again unless it was impending trouble, and I doubt a portal spewing a few ghosts is high on the list."

"I guess that's true," Danny muttered, disappointed at the reminder. He landed on top of a building to get a better view. "As of yet, there hasn't been major danger from the ghosts, but I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"Is this because you failed to keep Casper High from collapsing by the Fright Knight's might?" A new voice piped in, nearly startling Danny.

"Jazz? I didn't know you knew what we knew!"

"I'm not sure what you said makes any sense," Jazz replied. "In fact, you did tell Sam to get a few Fenton weapons from me, so obviously she had to explain why. I hope you don't mind me tagging along. But I'm sure no ghosts will do that much damage again. Have you heard about the mon-"

Danny interrupted her curtly. "Yes, I have heard about the monsters, although it doesn't scare me. Monsters can mean _anything_. Crazy animals or dastardly people, it sounds just like anything that normally happens at any school. I know you're trying to help, but the Fright Knight incident is in the past. I learned from it, and I won't let it happen again, especially to this unknowing, unprepared school."

"Okay, little brother, but you know I'm here you need anything."

Jazz's caring tone made Danny feel guilty. "Sorry, Jazz, and thanks for helping. Can you tell Sam and Tucker to…" Danny faltered when floating boxes appeared above a nearby building and his ghost sense went off. "Sorry, just keep searching, but I see a problem at hand, and by that, I mean a very small, short and waste-of-my-time problem."

He placed the cellphone back and flew in the direction of the boxes, thankful that it was just the Box Ghost and not something worse.

* * *

On the ground, Randy strolled through the streets while examining everything around him. The Ninja Mask was stored in his pocket so that he could pull it out when he came across something ghostly. If only he had an idea what was considered ghostly…

"Look! Flying boxes!" Someone hollered. Sure enough, cereal boxes, probably McFistios, were escaping through a window of a building and hovering away. Randy squinted his eyes at a place where someone was floating with overalls on and controlling them. He didn't recognize the person, but he was confident it was a ghost.

"Well, let's hope the ghost thief shows up too," Randy grimly muttered. Hiding behind a tree and making sure no one was around, he took out the mask and put in on his head. Red lights appeared while black ribbons came from the mask and wrapped around his body. After a few seconds, the lights disappeared with the Ninja Suit fully on and the Ninja ready for the dash.

Swiftly, Randy ran towards the building with the boxes. "Ninja scarf!" He called, and used his scarf to grab a pole. With the scarf tightly wrapped, he hopped up the side of the building until he reached the pole. Pulling the scarf free, he leaped onto the top, which had only been a few feet higher.

Already, the boxes were moving away. Randy chased them, yelling "Ninja sprint!" Jumping over the spaces between buildings, he kept up with them. The ghost didn't seem to notice he was being followed. At last, a green blast from above hit the ghost, causing him to crash into the structure he had been over. Randy carefully hopped over the ledge and remained still the in the corner. The ghost he'd been looking for had finally joined in.

"I am the Box Ghost! I have found these specially-marked cereal boxes, and now I will use their power to make you tremble!" The ghost's exclamation was making it hard for Randy not to laugh out loud. He covered his mouth just in case noise escaped.

"I guess if there's one nice thing about losing the Fenton Thermos…" Randy missed the rest of the comment as the word Fenton Thermos stuck out to him. Was the title of the thermos from the maker, a person with the last name Fenton? Or was it a _ghost_ with the last name?

He felt even more lost when the ghost boy said something about the Box Ghost being back in the Ghost Zone and Amity Park. He knew about Amity Park, considering exchange students had come for a very vague reason, but a ghost zone sounded like something he'd discover in a video game. Ghosts actually had some sort of zone know? _Definitely turning in as soon as I head home, my mind can't take much more of this,_ he thought wearily.

"You have no idea what terrible fate waits for you here!" The Box Ghost wailed, his arms flailing wildly. "The other ghosts and I have discovered a deep plot thickening under our noses, and you have helped it occur!"

"Me? How?" The ghost boy asked, but Randy had already heard enough. If other ghosts said that the white-haired ghost had started a problem, it most likely was because he took the Nomicon. No way was the Ninja standing around any longer with ninja wisdom endangered. He hoisted himself up, ready to finish what the other guy had clearly started.

"Beware!" The Box Ghost, who must've noticed him by now, flew off, leaving the place covered in massacred cereal boxes.

The ghost boy sighed, not catching on to what was amiss. "At least he's gone for know. I'm sure that there's not any major trouble that I need to worry about."

"Guess again," Randy spoke as he walked out into the open. Cold satisfaction filled him when the foe's mouth hung open in shock.

Trying to recompose himself, the ghost boy replied, "Wait, who are you?"

Randy narrowed his eyes. Was that a _joke?_ This guy had to know who he was if he had stolen his sacred book. "I am the Ninja. But now I have a question for you. Where is it?"

With an arched eyebrow, the ghost boy responded, "Where is what?"

"I think you know the answer of that…" Randy retorted, crossing his arms and starting to lose his patience with the liar.

"Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. Unless you're talking about my fist, then yes, I know exactly where it is. Wanna see it?"

Talking obviously wasn't working, so now it was time to try Plan B. "Are you trying to mess with me? If you're not going to tell me, then I'll have to force it out." Pulling out his sword, he ran towards the ghost, yelling "Ninja sword attack!"

Danny watched in horror… until immediately going intangible. The Ninja tried to slice at him, only to go through his body. "Huh?" The Ninja waved his sword around a few times, shocked that he wasn't doing any damage.

"Sorry, man, but when you're fighting a ghost, you'll have to do way better than that," Danny smugly pointed out, putting his hands on his arms in success.

But the first fail of the Ninja didn't stop him. Pulling something else from his suit, he threw some balls in front of Danny, hollering "Ninja flash!"

A white flash engulfed Danny's eyesight. "Augh!" He gasped as he covered his eyes and jerked back a bit, becoming tangible again. Taking up the opportunity, the Ninja began throwing ninja rings at him continuously. Danny was hoping to keep neutral in this fight, but once he felt a ring pass by his arm and scratch him, he decided it was time to go on offense.

_I didn't think ghosts could get hurt…_ Randy thought as one of the ninja rings visibly hit the ghost in the arm. But even more surprising was when the ghost blasted green beams at him. Randy dodged around, barely missing the oncoming heated blasts. One hit him in the chest, knocking him into the edge of the wall. "Oof!" His head reeling, he pushed himself up, noting that one step back would end up with him falling to the not-so-comfy looking concrete.

As more blasts were closing in on him, he grabbed the ninja doubling-baton and spun it quickly. Thankfully, the blasts bounced off the baton and went in the opposite. Additionally to his sense of success, a returned blast hit the ghost and knocked him back a few feet in the air. "Think you know how to fight a ninja better, ghost-person-who's-name-I-don't-know?" He taunted back.

"Alright, before you start calling me name like 'Inviso-Bill,' it's Danny Phantom. Also, ghost punch!" Danny frowned and slumped at his words. "Great, now he's got _me_ doing it." Danny flew towards the foe with his hand extended for compact. Flying at high speeds, the Ninja wasn't prepared for it in time. Once hit, he hurtled over the edge.

Danny hoped that would finish the fight, but the dream was dashed just as quickly as the Ninja's scarf wrapped around his body and yanked him down too. "Aaack!" He gagged desperately. As he fought to stay afloat and not crash into the ground, the Ninja was able to land lightly.

From that moment on, Danny decided, the guy was probably much more skilled than he had initially given him credit for. Was this the guy who somehow he had helped with something dark and dangerous? He sounded about Danny's age, and although clever, didn't show the signs of major, villainous intelligence or desires. But this ninja had started the fight, wanting who-knows-what from him, and Danny wasn't going to be shoved around and expect the best intentions.

With all his strength, Danny pulled free from the scarf and faced the Ninja. "Dude, I think it's time you chillax!" Danny shot ice from his hands towards him, starting at his feet and going upwards.

"No, I think it's time _you_ warm up. Ninja Tengu fireball!" Randy's suit started glowing orange as he gathered heat, turning the ice on his legs into a puddle of water. When empowered, he aimed a fireball at the oncoming ice blast, and melted it.

The ghost- er, Danny Phantom- looked purely dazed at what he'd just seen. But he quickly seemed to push back the shock and grunted, "Look, whoever you are, we don't need to fight. I'm sorry, but I've never known about you before this, and I doubt I know a thing about your object either."

Randy hesitated. The Phantom seemed to be answering honestly, and if had known about the NinjaNomicon, wouldn't he have admitting it by now? Maybe the doom the ghost had brought wasn't taking the Nomicon. _But where is it then? _If he still had it, though, it wouldn't be too pleased that he'd jump to conclusions. It was best to find out more about his suspect before starting a full-out attack, but he'd gone too far too soon. As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop feeling exasperated about the whole situation, whether or not the guy was the thief.

Crestfallen, Randy mumbled tiredly, "Sorry. But don't get the idea that you're off the hook. Smokebomb!" Throwing the bomb, a red cloud of a smoke appeared, and once it faded away, he was gone.

Danny, curious by the Ninja's glum apology, made a quick observation of the street he was on in case he could fall victim to a surprise attack. With nothing in sight, Danny was left to wonder where the whole fight had come from, along with who had been the real villain. The ghost portal was still an important issue, but now he knew he needed to discover why the Ninja had been asking for something and seemed urgent. And, most of all, what doom he'd brought on to himself and others.


End file.
